Abstract
Samango monkeys (Cercopithecus albogularis schwarzi) in the Soutpansberg Mountains, South Africa, experience a highly seasonal climate, with relatively cold, dry winters. They must show behavioural flexibility to survive these difficult conditions near the southern limit of the species’ distribution and maintain the minimum nutritional intake they require. Through environmental monitoring and behavioural observations of a habituated group of samango monkeys, we explored how they adapted to the highly seasonal climate they experienced in the mountains. Our results indicated that the monkeys varied their foraging behaviours to account for changes in climate and daylight availability. The samangos increased their food intake in colder months, specifically leaves, likely due to an increased need for calories during winter to maintain body temperature. Samango monkeys have anatomical and physiological adaptations for digesting leaves, and these are likely important in explaining their ability to adapt to the broad range of climatic conditions they experience.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Lajuma for hosting the research and in particular, Prof. Ian Gaigher, who sadly passed away in 2020, and provided vital support when in the field. Thanks also to field assistants Doris, John, Alex, Cathryn, Noemi, Brandi, Helene, Lucy and Katrina, whose help in data collection was vital. All fieldwork was approved by the Animal Welfare Ethical Review Board and the Department of Anthropology Ethics Committee at Durham University and was conducted with approved permits from Limpopo Province Department of Economic Development and Tourism. Thanks to Durham University Primatology Group for their comments and suggestions on an earlier version of the manuscript. Finally, thanks to the editor of Primates, Prof. Matsuzawa, plus the two reviewers, whose constructive comments have helped improve the paper overall.
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Coleman, B.T., Setchell, J.M. & Hill, R.A. Seasonal variation in the behavioural ecology of samango monkeys (Cercopithecus albogularis schwarzi) in a southern latitude montane environment. Primates 62, 1005–1018 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-021-00939-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-021-00939-1